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Brown Butter Mashed Butternut Squash

1/15/13

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Mashed butternut squash is a healthy side dish recipe that is quick and easy to make. But give it even more deep, nutty deliciousness with a bit of browned butter and it becomes extra special for Thanksgiving or Christmas. Just a touch adds to the rich and velvety texture, while still keeping it light. However, even after the holiday indulgence, you can still enjoy this luxurious vegetarian, gluten free, paleo, and Whole 30 friendly Brown Butter Mashed Butternut Squash!

And the great thing about it – use the real, full fat stuff, brown it all up, and it is so packed with flavor that you only need a smidge to have a huge impact. For a good size butternut squash, I only used two tablespoons of butter, and it made quite a lot. The four of us ate it, with plenty of leftovers.

How do you make mashed butternut squash?

First step is to peel and cut the butternut squash into 1-inch pieces. Be sure to use a very sharp knife and cut the squash carefully.

Some people then like to use roasted butternut squash in order to get additional flavor. But to really let the brown butter flavor shine, for this recipe the squash is simply steamed in a steamer basket over a simmering pot of water.

While it steams, brown your butter, then add the sage. It will foam slightly when you do this.

Add the squash, browned butter mixture, and salt and pepper to a blender or food processor and puree until smooth. You can also use a hand blender.

Return the mixture to a pot and heat through, evaporating off any excess moisture to achieve your desired thickness.

How do you brown butter?

You can see step-by-step photos for how to brown butter from Country Cleaver. But in short, heat a pan over medium-low heat. Add the butter, let it melt and start to foam. Stir frequently until the butter becomes golden in color and some brown bits start to collect at the bottom. Be careful not to burn the butter.

How do you make Brown Butter Mashed Butternut Squash Whole 30 compliant?

That’s simple. You just need ghee, which you can buy, or you can make homemade ghee, as you can see from Foodie With Family. Basically, the process of making brown butter and ghee is the same. With ghee you are cooking it long enough to separate the butterfat from the milk solids and then removing the solids. When making brown butter, you just cook it longer to develop that nutty, toasty flavor, and you might not necessarily separate it from the solids unless you choose to based on your particular diet or preferences.

So to make a paleo or Whole 30 compliant version of Brown Butter Mashed Butternut Squash, after browning the butter pour it through a fine mesh sieve lined with cheesecloth to separate the milk solids from the browned ghee.

Brown Butter Mashed Butternut Squash Recipe

The addition of the browned butter makes this mashed butternut squash so luxurious, with a lovely, velvety texture, and rich, well-developed flavor. Everyone will enjoy simple, nutritious, but impressive side dish. If you are looking for a lighter alternative to a heavier mashed potato or even sweet potatoes for Thanksgiving or Christmas, give it a try. It is also a lovely side for a special steak dinner on the weekend, or with some chicken for a healthy weeknight dinner.

I hope you’ll leave a comment and give it a FIVE STAR rating or share a photo on this pin on Pinterest!

Ingredients

Instructions

Bring a pot of water to a simmer. Place the butternut squash cubes in a steamer basket and steam until tender, about 15 minutes.

While the squash is cooking, heat a pan over medium-low heat. Add the butter, let it melt and start to foam. Stir frequently until the butter becomes golden in color and some brown bits start to collect at the bottom. Be careful not to burn the butter.

Remove from the heat, and add the sage. The butter will foam slightly when you do this.

Add the cooked butternut squash to a blender or food processor, then add the sage-butter mixture, salt, and a few grinds of pepper. Puree until smooth.

If the puree is a bit to liquidy, return to a pan and cook off some of the liquid.

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Ran across this older recipe of yours on Healthy Aperture and pinned it for the upcoming fall season! I love using brown butter in both baked goods and more savory dishes… The fresh sage in this sounds delightful!

I adore this recipe, Brianne! All the satisfaction of a creamy, luscious, indulgent dish and none of the guilt (even if I eat the entire thing in one sitting…that won’t be frowned upon, right?). I love butternut squash. I’ve really got to cook with it more this year.